


Still Going Strong

by UnintendedPun



Category: Love Simon (2018), Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Gay Disaster Simon Spier, M/M, Pining, Pining bram, Simon is oblivious, i dont remember which one, im a mess, im bad at tags, of course
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-06-30 17:49:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15756723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnintendedPun/pseuds/UnintendedPun
Summary: When Simon grabs Bram at a bar to avoid a lady who keeps hitting on him, he wants to make it up to him by taking him to the WaHo...ORI saw this prompt done with another fandom and decided this fandom needed it.





	1. This is Garrett's Fault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tags are probably going to change, (and there might be a new relationship. But that's okay cause no one reads tags anyway. 
> 
> Shout out to you if you read the tags
> 
> Title is a lyric from Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith

Bram would never have hung out here by himself. Not only cause it wasn’t a place he would be caught dead in, but it just wasn’t his turn to pick the bar, it was Garrett’s. He would also never come here because this bar is far too noisy and smells like booze and sex. Which Garrett says is the mark of a good bar, but Bram doesn’t like it. Never has. He told Garrett last time that he will never come back here, but being a great friend like he is, he came. Unfortunately, he's been here three days this week. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are Garrett's days to pick, and this week he has only chose this place. He loves to hang out here, typically by himself, but he's been bringing Bram to find him a boyfriend. Garrett the fucking matchmaker. Of course, Garrett is really only looking for sex, and Al's is definitely the go-to place for that. It’s it all the marks of a sex.. place. It's booze-y and cheap. And probably dirty and gross, but the lights are too dim to really tell. 

His phone buzzes with a text from Nick:

aww but come on dont u want seeexxxxxx

Bram laughs at Nick's sarcastic comment. He hopes its sarcastic.

I’ve never been interested in hooking up with some rando, you know that.

u never really date either tho so like... ur not putting out any kinda vibe… Nick replied.

Yeah, but, you know, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.

lol yeah  
does that mean you havent seen any cute guys 2nite

Your grammar is horrendous, by the way. 

so is yours  
horrendous isn't a word duh  
and thats a no  
so when are u guys getting home?

I’m ready to leave now, Bram replies, but I don’t think Garrett’s ever coming home.

oh come on you like j got their

*There

yeah whatever

I didn’t even want to come anyway, but Garrett insisted. I’d rather be at home on my laptop.

tumblr calls

Bram smiles at his phone before turning it off and taking a few steps towards the bright red exit sign, trying not to step on anyone. That’s when someone grabs him around the waist from behind. He instinctively stiffens up.

“Whoa, dude, chill. I'm not going to, like, kill you or anything, I just need you to pretend to be my boyfriend for a sec, this woman won't leave me alone.” 

The voice coming from behind him sounds nice enough, but Bram definitely isn't going to let his guard down. Not here. Yeah, he definitely should have said no to going out with Garrett this afternoon.

Just at that moment, the guy behind him steps around to his side, keeping his hand around Bram's waist, and an older woman strolls up to them, smiling. 

“Ahh, Simon,” she says. She’s wearing lots of jewelry, and it glitters in the low light of the bar. Bram notices the ring on her finger, not a wedding band or an engagement ring, though. He thinks its a graduation ring. It looks a lot like the one he has in his dorm room, but there aren't really that many high schools in Georgia. She would have graduated years before him anyway.

“So this is where you ran off to. And who's your... friend?” She asks, eyeing Bram up and down as if he’s a piece of meat. 

Simon steps closer to Bram and farther from the woman. It really seems like she freaks him out a lot. Bram feels a slight twinge of anger, though that can't be right. He doesn't even know this guy, Simon, how come he is already feeling protective? No, he’s probably just getting sick from all the germs in this place, making his stomach feel funny in a twist he mistook for anger.

“Naomi, this is my boyfriend,” Simon coughs lightly and gestures at Bram, searching for a name.

“Oh, Bram.” Bram supplies after a second, extending his hand towards the woman. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Naomi.” The woman says, glaring at Bram’s hand as if it has some nasty disease. “Charmed, I'm sure.” She turns on her heel and stalks away angrily.

“That was a close one.” Simon huffs, “Everytime I come here she does this. I keep telling her that I'm gay, but I guess it just isn’t sticking.” And then he continues, after a second, “Hey man, thanks for doing that for me, it could not have been pleasant.” He extends his hand. “I'm Simon.”

Bram takes his hand and repeats what he said to Naomi, “Bram, a pleasure to meet you.” 

He looks around to make sure that Naomi has really gone, “So, I'm your fake boyfriend?” He asks, smiling.

Simon laughed. “If you're ok with that. My real boyfriend's not here, or else I would have used him. Sorry, again.”

Bram cringes, and then hopes it isn't noticeable. He could have done without knowing the cute boy had a partner. Bram really was doomed to be alone forever.

“But hey,” Simon continues, and Bram is glad he hadn't seen him cringe, or at least had the decency not to mention it, “if you ever need anything, gimme a call.” He hands Bram a small rectangle of paper.

“Business cards?” Bram asks, surprised. 

“What? They're cute!” He laughs, and Bram is pretty sure that for the rest of his life he will be able to swear up and down that it is the best noise he has ever heard. Unfortunately for Bram, Simon quickly covers his mouth with his hand to strangle the sound of his laugh. And then he continues talking, looking up at Bram, 

“So, what can I do for you? To make up for this, I mean.”

Bram looks around. “Well, I would like to get out of here, so… take me to the Burger King?”

Simon laughs. “I'll do you one better. How about the WaHo?”

“Waffle House? At one in the morning?” 

“Sure, why not?” Simon turns to leave. “You were gonna go to Burger King.”

Bram watches him walk away for a minute before realizing he is supposed to be following. Maybe he is glad he said yes to Garrett this afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great, that's one chapter done, see you guys later!
> 
> Comments and Kudos feed starving artists!!!!! :P


	2. I Know Too Much About Waffle House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Waffle House time! Just some fun little chats happening up in this WaHo...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right. I actually did research about Waffle House for this, and now Google thinks I'm obsessed.
> 
> Anyway... two chapters in two days?!?!? I'm a super hero. (don't get used to this)

Two am is a surprisingly busy time for the Waffle House. It’s, of course, full of blackout drunks and stoners, but still; surprisingly busy. It’s about a quarter of the way full of curious looking patrons. Simon notices one guy wearing an eye patch, another with his arm in a sling, and yet another who had a red stained bandage around his hand. But maybe it was ketchup? Simon honestly can’t afford to be judgy at this point. It’s been a month since his last paycheck. 

He and Bram take seats across from each other in a red vinyl booth near the back of the house. When the waitress comes around, they both order, Simon first,

“A plate of bacon, a plate of sausage, and a double order of peanut butter waffles.”

“Ok, is that all?”

“I’ll also have a coke.”

“And you, sir?” The waitress asks, turning to Bram.

Bram takes one more glance at the menu and then says, “I’ll have a regular coffee, two eggs, an order of bacon, and chocolate chip waffles.”

“Ok,” the waitress says, scribbling on her notepad, “will that be all?”

Bram nods and she walks back to the kitchens. 

Bram immediately turns on Simon, “Peanut butter waffles?”

Simon smiles and winks, “I have a sense of adventure.”

They talk for a long time while they wait for their food to be ready, but Simon notices that Bram doesn’t really talk that much. He seems content to just sit, observing. Simon has a hunch that Bram is one of those people who really have a lot going on in their mind, but don’t feel the need to say all of it all the time. He thinks likes that. Cal is really kinda noisy when you get to know him, so it’s nice to have a break from all the chatter. Not that he doesn’t like Cal! He just always has a lot going on, and needs to talk about it all the time, and it can get kinda overwhelming. Simon likes to talk too, just with Cal it’s all kinda just all the time, and no one ever believes him because Cal is really quiet around everyone else and so it makes Simon sound unsympathetic. Simon decides it's time to stop thinking about this. 

“So,” He says, “Bram.”

Bram looks up from his food. 

“How’d you get to Georgia?”

“Oh,” Bram said, smiling. This was an easy thing to talk about. Just the facts. “I was actually born in Savannah.”

“Yeah?” says Simon, “I was born in Shady Creek. It’s a small town, you’ve probably never heard of it.”

“No, actually.” Bram replies, “What's it like?”

Simon sighs over-dramatically, “It’s not the best. When I came out I was teased a bit. My parents and sister still live there, so I have to go back for holidays and stuff, but from what I cans see its gotten better, a little. It’s mostly just cookie cutter neighborhoods-” Simon stops suddenly, realizing he’s been rambling. He briefly wonders if its because the author wants to up their word count, but he quickly pushes that thought out of his mind. 

“Anyway,” He stutters out, flushing a bit, “It’s an alright place.”

Bram smiles. He likes listening to other people talk, knowing what they like to ramble about. Not in a creepy way, though that's usually how people perceive it. The things people ramble and talk on and on about are usually the things they have the most interest in, or the things they love the most.

“That’s good, I guess,” Bram supplies, “I mean, not the you being bullied bit, but that they’ve gotten better.”

“Yeah,” Simon says, wistfully smiling into the distance. At that particular moment, he's thinking about how happy he is that Shady Creek got its shit together quick enough for Nora to come out safely. He wouldn’t wish the torment he was put through in high school on anyone. 

“So Simon,” Bram says, leading the conversation for the first time that night. “You seem like a theater guy, am I wrong?”

Simon’s eyes immediately light up, “Nope, you would in fact be one hundred percent right.”

Bram laughs, “Do you have a favorite musical?”

Simon gasps. “But they’re all so good, how am I supposed to pick!”

Bram laughs again, “Alright, I’ll go first. It’s kinda obscure, so you’ve probably not heard of it, but Be More Chill is by far my favorite musical.”

Simon nods soberly. “I have in fact heard of Be More Chill. It’s a very good contender, but I am afraid to say that it doesn’t quite beat out my favorite musical, witch I have just now decided is Dear Evan Hansen.”

Bram smiles and nods thoughtfully. “Least favorite musical?”

Simon crinkles his nose. “Waitress.”

Bram gasps loudly, drawing the attention of the few remaining customers.

“Waitress is amazing!” he whispers, trying to dissipate the attention.

Simon scoffs, “Ah, no. Talk to my manager.”

“Simon, what’s not to love?” Bram asks, incredulous, “a southern belle gets pregnant and falls in love.” Bram is practically making heart eyes at this point, and all over a musical. And maybe the absurdly cute boy sitting across from him.

“But it’s so boring.” Simon insists as he finishes his second waffle, “The songs have very little emotional drive. I mean, look at Rent, great soundtrack, lots of emotion.” Simon punctuates the word ‘emotion’ with a small jab of his fork as he picks up his drink. 

“Rent is good.” Bram agrees as he throws his last piece of bacon in his mouth. “But so is Waitress, it’s just a different type of good.”

“No.” Simon puts down his Coke to shake his head, “There’s no such thing as ‘a different type of good’. Waitress is bad.”

“Waitress is objectively good,” Bram says, sighing into his coffee cup. “You’re just uncultured.”

Simon puts his hand to his chest in mock offence. “Bramathan! How dare you!” he cries.

“Bramathan?”

“I don’t know your full name. ‘Bramathan’ seemed like a viable choice.” He shrugs and hails over the waitress.

After only a short argument, Simon pays the check and reminds Bram about the business card Simon gave him earlier that night.

“Call me if you need anything, ever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Waffle House does sell peanut butter Waffles, I checked. They don't, however, sell iced coffee. Does anyone else think that's weird?
> 
> Anyway, Comments and Kudos feed Bieber Spier.


	3. I'm Sorry About This One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit gets real

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look! Three times in three days?! I have way too much free time...

When Simon leaves the Waffle House, the sun is rising over a line of trees at the edge of his vision. He checks his phone and realizes that it’s already close to six in the morning.

Well, he thinks to himself, that took longer than expected. Not that he was complaining, Bram was a great guy to hang out with. He can't help but hope that Bram finds a reason to call him. One can only wish. Of course, Simon could always just call Bram. Bram gave him his phone number, and, disregarding the business card, Simon punched his number into Bram’s phone too. But him calling Bram would just seem desperate, right? He owes Bram, so just letting Bram call him would be best, right?

Simon lands on yes, that would be the proper thing to do, and tries not to think about it as he drives home. Instead, he takes a different route home than he usually takes and focuses on the nice trees growing by the side of the road. As he drives he sings musicals to himself and thinks about Bram. Not that he’s obsessed, just that… he was a person… who was new… to Simon. Yeah, even Simon had a hard time convincing himself of that.

The route that he’s driving down has a wreck a little ways along it, but considering the early hour, and that it’s a Saturday, there weren’t that many people on the road.

When Simon gets home that morning, Cal is already up and moving around in the kitchen. He always gets up at an absurdly early time, like, no one else gets up nearly as early as Cal does. He practically lives be that Ben Franklin quote, ‘Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ or some shit like that. Simon hears Cal drop something as he comes in the door of their small apartment. It clatters loudly against the ground. Luckily it doesn’t sound like a plate, so hopefully nothing is broken.

“Hey, Cal, I’m home!” He shouts in the direction of the kitchen. He hears Cal curse and then quickly call back a hey. Simon peeks his head into the kitchen, and nearly falls over laughing. Cal is stood in the middle of the kitchen, witch is an absolute mess. He is obviously in the process of trying to cook, there’s an egg cracked on the counter, and flour everywhere. 

“What are you doing in here?” Simon asks, trying (and failing) to hide his laughter. 

Call pouts at him from where he’s standing and Simon notices he has a smudge of flour on his forehead and nose. 

“I was trying to make you pancakes for breakfast, like you said your sister used to, but,” He gestures to the mess around him. “It didn’t turn out that well. I think my problems started when I dropped the flour.” He points to a split bag of flour inside the door. 

Simon smiles at his boyfriend and steps forward to give him a hug. Cal sniffles a little as Simon rests his head against Cal’s, and Simon moves to survey the damages.

“It really isn’t that bad, we can clean it up. And besides, I just had breakfast a little while ago, so no loss of any kind. Except the flour, I guess.” Simon says, trying to reassure his boyfriend.

At that moment, Cal moves away from Simon, stepping closer to the island in the middle of the room. “Oh, with Nick?”

Simon looks at him for a second, confused. “What do you mean?”

“You went to breakfast with Nick?” Cal asks, looking slightly annoyed.

“Um, no actually,” Simon confesses, I went with this guy I met at Al’s.”

“So it was a date.” Cal says, crossing his arms.

Simon sighs, long and loud, and puts his head in his hands. Here we go again.

“Why are you acting annoyed?” Cal asks, raising his voice ever so slightly. “If anything I should be annoyed.”

Simon sighs again (quieter this time), but lifts his head out of his hands.

“Of course it was a date Cal,” Simon says sarcastically, “because I can never hang out with anyone without it being a date. You would be saying the same thing if I had been hanging out with Nick. You’re just-”

“I’m just what, Simon? What am I?” Cal says, and he’s full on shouting now, “What? I’m just overbearing? Insensitive?”

“You’re decidedly not insensitive…” Simon mutters. He’s joking, but for Cal, that's the straw that broke the camel's back. “Look, I’m just saying that if I had said I was hanging out with Nick, you’d be acting the same way. Do you just not want me to talk to people?”

“Okay, Simon.” Cal says, no longer yelling, this time he’s deathly quiet as he says, “If you like Nick so much, maybe you should date him.”

Simon’s lips quirk up in a sad echo of a smile, though he doesn’t think anything is particularly funny at the moment.

“Wha- what are you s- saying? Cal?” Simon stutter.

“I’m saying,” Cal says, and his calmness is excruciating, “You should leave. I’ll have your stuff together by Sunday.”

“Are- are you breaking up with me?” Simon asks, his exhaustion making it take a second to clear away and let Simon comprehend what just happened.

In response, Cal just turns towards the kitchen island and away from Simon.

“Where am I supposed to go, Cal?” and this time it’s Simon’s turn to be quiet, practically begging with Cal, “I don’t have a place to stay.”

“You could stay with Nick.” Cal suggests, and everything after that is a confusing blur. The next thing Simon knows, he’s sitting on the curb, his ringing phone held up to his ear and a small overnight bag stuffed with clothes and a toothbrush sitting beside him. He feels like Harry Potter in the beginning of Prisoner of Azkaban, except about a hundred times more depressing.

There’s a click on the phone as Nick picks up. 

“Hello?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whadda you think? I'm so bad a writing fights, sorry. They make me sad.
> 
> Comments and Kudos pay for my Starbucks coffee!


	4. Oops...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon calls Nick... maybe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, you guys are INSANELY supportive, thanks, it means a lot :)
> 
> So here's the thing, I had already written two versions of this chapter, but I decided that instead of finishing one and never posting the other, I would post two. 
> 
> Basically, this chapter is just two 500 word... chapters? If that make sence at all.
> 
> What ever, just enjoy.
> 
> And hey, thanks.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Nick, I have a problem…”

“Uh, this is Bram.”

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to call you, I just-”

“Hey, Simon. It’s ok. No one ever calls me, so it’s a nice change.” Bram smiles and looks down at his converse. In the bright white light of the LED’s in his desk lamp, he can make out the scuff marks on the front of his shoes from where he scuffed them against whatever surface he happened to be standing on at the time. That was a nice nervous tick for Bram, it helped him get some of his nervous energy out. His mom hated it. Back when he lived with her, that is. It meant that he needed new shoes every couple of months, and combined with his growth spurt, it meant that he had a new pair almost monthly. Simon is still talking, breaking Bram out of his shoe reverie. 

“I can hardly believe that!” Simon says, “I’m sure someone must call you.”

Bram chuckles, and a million self deprecating jokes rush through his head. It would be so easy to say something stupid and mean about himself, literally no one calls him.

“My mom, yeah.” Bram mutters, “But only really on my birthday or holidays.”

They’re silent for a moment. Bram wonders, as he always does, if he said something wrong. He probably did. He pulls his phone away from his face to see if Simon has hung up, and Bram just missed the click noise, but he hasn’t and Simon’s still not talking, so Bram speaks.

“Simon? Why did you call me?” He asks, and immediately cringes. He didn’t intend it to sound like he was angry, but of course, whenever he speaks it comes out wrong. 

Simon is quiet for another beat, and this time Bram is sure Simon’s hung up. He checks again, but nope, the call is still going. 2:32 and counting.

“I didn’t really mean to. I wanted to call Nick, because my boyfriend-” He stops, “ex boyfriend kicked me out of his apartment and I’ve got nowhere to go.”

This time Bram is quiet. He’s trying to think of something to say. There’s a lot there. His heart flutters at the ‘ex’ Simon added to ‘boyfriend’, but he knows there’s no way Simon would want to stay with Bram. He settles on,

“Oh.” 

The word feels very empty, like it’s missing a lot that should be said, but can’t be. 

“You sh- should probably get on that.” Bram says, and his words seem to crack like a whip through the empty space in his bedroom, and everything seems to go quiet. His roommate stops bustling around in the kitchen, the traffic outside his window stops. The crickets that bug Bram every night as he goes to bed suddenly cease they’re whining. And Simon says nothing.

And then suddenly, “Yeah. I probably should.”

And the world suddenly and sharply comes back on. Abby drops something in the kitchen, someone on the street shouts, a car honks its horn, and the phone that Bram is holding makes a small click.

And this time Simon really has hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos want to be firepeople when they grow up so they can save lives!


	5. Chapter 3.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You asked for it...
> 
> REAL QUICK BEFORE YOU GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> This chapter is kinda depressing, can't say I didn't warn ya

Cal huffs out a sigh and sits down, just in the middle of the kitchen, and as he does, he almost starts crying. 

Cal was probably overreacting, Simon really is a great guy, everything is Cal’s fault. He’s stupid, and emotional. Everything is stupid and emotional, Cal is stupid and emotional, he always has been and always will be. 

It was his emotions that drove him to come out to Simon in Junior year, he was crazy emotional when Simon first asked him out. But he never stopped being suspicious.

Cal is aware that that's his worst trait. He is suspicious of everything and everyone. Worst of all, he is suspicious of himself.

He was suspicious when he realized he was bi, was he sure he wasn't just gay? He was suspicious when Simon asked him out. He thought it was probably a joke. It was Cal’s suspicion that drove a lot of his “over emotional behavior”.

But worst of all, when he decided that Simon was too good for him, when he decided that all the 'I love you’s and 'you’re so cute’s we're faked, that's when the cheating began. 

It started off small, he didn’t mean for it to begin at all, but he let a guy in a bar hit on him, and didn't tell him he had a boyfriend. Then he danced with another guy. A hug. A kiss. And all that led to a string of one night stands. Cal hated all of them.

It was depressing, and Cal was depressed. Not that that was even ever a viable excuse for any of his actions. Cal was looking for them, some random, tiny thing he could use against Simon to break up with him.

And he feels like shit. 

Over and over and over again, Cal feels like shit.

Cal gets up and leaves the kitchen, which really is a mess, and moves to his bedroom. He flops on the bed and lays there, face down on the pillow. 

He sulks for a minute, playing the night over and over in his head, until he just wants his brain to stop. He sits up and pulls out his phone. Clicking into his music app he cues up a playlist he made for occasions just like this, and the music starts playing out of his phone speaker.

He can't even bring himself to care that the sound quality sucks, and his headphones are a mere foot away on his bedside table. Right m=now he doesn’t feel like moving at all, he’s content just to hear the music at all.

Just as the song Only Us plays, he breaks down. Sobbing into his pillow, Cal wishes everything could have gone differently. That he could be more trusting. 

As his playlist continues, and more musicals fill the air around his head, Cal realizes that nothing he ever tells himself will make any difference, but it’s over now, maybe he’s just destined to be alone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY!
> 
> I honestly love Cal, but I couldn't think of another reason for him to break up with Simon. 
> 
> (Also, the soundtrack Cal listens to is my own personal Great Depression, and I listened to it after I got dumped, so, there's that fun fact.)


	6. Hurricane Katrina, More Like Hurricane Simon Spier Is a Gay Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon needs to leave
> 
> Simon sees Bram
> 
> Maybe Simon Doesn't need to leave so bad...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this summary is true af, so you guys let me know.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I really like this chapter, but I'm trash, so I mayyyy have fluffed it up a little bit.. oops  
> ANY WAY: I'm probably going to edit this more, so you can read this chapter twice if you want, the plot might change, or not, I'm not really sure yet. OK BYE!

In the beginning, there was nothing.

Then the Big Bang happened (A/N: that’s right, I’m so desperate for words I’m gonna tell you the story of the entire 11 seasons), not that anyone was really around to to see it.

And, so, the universe was created, though right now it looks a bit more like a bunch of dust floating around, but hey, at least it’s something…

Some 9.2 billion years later, the earth formed in what I like to believe was a giant fireball/explosion, but I’m way too lazy to Google that.

The moon quickly followed, forming only a million years later.

4.1 billion years later, and the first hominid stepped up to the plate, not to be bested by the rest of the homo sapiens sapiens, which came into existence abou- 

You know what, I thought this was gonna be a funny I’m bit to start this chapter, but (like most of Bo Burnham’s jokes), it has gone on way too long.

(A/N: If you liked that horrible attempt at comedy, you would really love Round Planet, it’s available on Netflix)

I’m sorry, by the way, about this chapter.

In summary, from the beginning of time, it took a long ass time before Simon Spier graced the earth.

That time flew by quickly for house flies (their life span is only, like, 3 days), and for the Wooly Mammoth, life ended too quick. Cockroaches, amazingly, live for a very long time, so these billion years seemed to them like an eternity, but nothing, and no one, has ever sat through anything as long at Simon Spier’s 1897th ever English class. That’s right, I counted. 

The English lecture is his last class of the day, and today he is itching to leave. As an English major, he usually tries to milk the most out of his last lecture, annoying the professor with questions until she is almost out of her mind, and he is always eager to learn, even when the subject isn’t as interesting to him as English, but today he just can’t focus. 

He catches himself staring at the clock several times during the lecture, but the funny thing is, he doesn’t even know where he’s going when he gets out of class. He doesn’t have an apartment anymore, and Nick is probably in hanging out in the dorm they now share. All Simon knows is he wants alone time. No one else, just him, and maybe a good book. Or, you know, Great Gatsby could suffice.

So when the professor finally wraps up her lecture, it is as if his seat is on fire, with how fast Simon jumps out of the chair. 

Racing out into the hall, head down, Simon’s only focused on leaving the building, and he crashes head long into a wall of flesh, and (like in a cheesy rom-com), falls flat on his butt. So, of course all his books fly everywhere. 

The aforementioned wall of flesh kneels and, apologizing profusely and quickly, starts to pick up Simon’s books. Simon takes this time to examine his attacker.

(A/N: Don’t pretend you don’t already know who it is, this is a fanfic, and I am not that great an author.)

It’s Cal.

(A/N: JK, JK, It’s Bram. but I had you there for a second, didn’t I?)

It’s Bram.

“Uh,” Simon manages to get out through his stunned stupor. What were the chances that the cute guy from the bar went to Colombia? Pretty slim, if you think about it, but here he is, barley two feet in front of Simon himself. “You- I- don’t help. Need yours?” He stuttered, and starts blushing when the words coming out of his mouth make no sense. “I’m not- this- you…” Simon decides it’s best to stop speaking and just pick his books up from the floor. 

And then he gets angry. Bram has no right to treat Simon like anyone other than an acquaintance, someone he will never see again. And sure, maybe Bram would help an acquaintance with his books. He did seem like that kinda guy, but still, this is Simon’s personal property, why should Bram get to touch it? 

Aware he’s grasping at straws only makes Simon angrier. Why can’t he come up with a reason to hate Bram? He ruined Simon’s relationship, getting him kicked out of his apartment in the process, and looks too damn good in that tight shi- No! Bram’s not hot, he’s infuriating!

Roughly taking back the book that Bram had picked up, he starts walking in the direction of the library.

As Simon’s leaving, Bram grabs his coat. Cal’s coat really, Simon’s ready to shed it.

“Simon,” He blurts out, “Can I take you for coffee?”

Simon stops for a second and pretends to ponder what Bram asked, and then gives Bram what can only be described as the side-est of side eyes, combined with the bitchiest (and I don’t use that word lightly) of bitch faces. Truly, it is a look best left to the imagination, especially as Simon doesn’t pull it off well, it’s more of a Leah look.

Bram, in an attempt to hold back actually laughter, pretends to laugh uncomfortably, “Just as friends,” He continues, “I think we should talk.”

Simons scowl lets up a diminutive amount (A/N: di·min·u·tive: dəˈminyədiv/, adjective, extremely or unusually small amount).

This is not how he expected this evening to go. He was supposed to go sit in the library, drinking iced coffee and reading a good book.

He was not going to spend an afternoon wandering around town, drinking warm coffee and talking to a boy he barely knows. 

“Consider it me calling in my favor.” Bram says, and as Simon looks into his eyes (I told you this would be cheesy and rom-com-y) he realizes that Bram really just wants coffee, as friends.

“Ok,” Simon says, “One cup,” He checks his watch, “Half and hour. Talk fast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, coffee in the next chapter. I already have the name and everything!
> 
> Actually though, you guys should leave a comment, I get really board in class and I love replies, also you guys feel free to suggest ideas! tell me what you want to see.
> 
> ALSO, plz go read my fic "His Last Vow" it's kinda depresso, but I did write it at like, midnight last night, and I was on a phone, so the typos should be interesting...
> 
> Comments and Kudos can think of more creative titles than me, so if you give me them, maybe my titles will get better...


	7. Two Bros, Chillin' In A Coffee Shop, No Feet Apart Cause They're So Gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bros^TM drink coffee and tea is spilled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this chapter is up early. I hate posting at night, but I finished it and I can't wait for tuesday to post this.
> 
> I really thought it would never go up because I literally had writer's block for like a week, but here you go. Many thanks to my friend Caroline (who will never see this cause she doesn't have an Ao3) for help with Bram's confession, and also for being the best friend ever just in general.
> 
> Also, I think the formatting looks kinda weird, but I spent like 10 minutes trying to fix it so idk.
> 
> ONE LAST THING  
> someone mentioned a mistake I made where I wrote 'Garrett' instead of 'Nick' a couple chapters ago, 
> 
> SO JUST TO CLARIFY Simon knows Nick, Bram knows Garrett, they don't know each other. If its still wrong somewhere, let me know and I'll fix it...
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

_ Say, don't that make you feel a whole lot better?  _ __  
_ What you say? _ __  
_ I'm just askin'  _ __  
_ Yeah, yeah, yeah _ _  
_ __ Stop!

_. _

_. _

_. _

_ First the mic, then a half cigarette _ __  
_ singing 'Cathy's Clown' _ __  
_ That's the man that she's married to now _ __  
  


They walk into the coffee shop right as the song switches from 'Dance This Mess Around’ to 'Walz #2’, so Simon automatically likes the place.

 

The decor is seemingly more random than the music, the tables all look old, even though some of them are very modern-looking and the chairs around them show off the same variety of age and style.

 

The point is, the decor of the shop is very all over the place.

 

Simon and Bram walk up to the counter and the employee behind the counter, her name is Nicole, takes there orders and they turn to find a seat in the not-so-crowded coffee shop.

 

The whole way here, neither of them spoke, because even though Bram tried for polite conversation, Simon was completely blocking him out. 

 

One coffee, thirty minutes, nothing else.

 

When they find a place to sit, Simon immediately turns to Bram and pulls out his phone. He taps at it for a second and then looks up at Bram. 

 

“Thirty minutes. Go.”

 

Simon taps one more time to start the stopwatch, counting up to the end of Bram's apology.

 

“Look, Simon, I messed up. It was stupid of me to want to go to breakfast with you, you have a boyfriend.” 

 

Simon sighs. “But?”

 

“What do you mean 'but’?”

 

“Well there's always a 'but’. An  _ excuse _ . I was being a jerk  _ but  _ you were too. I was trying to finish chapter 5 by Tuesday  _ but  _ I just had so much going on. I was-”

 

“Simon,” Bram cuts him off, “there's no 'but’. I was being an idiot, and I hope we can still be friends. You’re a nice guy Simon.”

 

Simon looks down at his drink for a second.

 

“Cal dumped me.”

 

“What?”

 

“Cal, my (now  _ ex _ ) boyfriend.” Simon takes a deep breath. “You said ‘you have a boyfriend’ but I don’t. He dumped me after we went to breakfast.”

 

“Oh, jeez, Simon. I’m sorry.” Bram stares at his coffee for a second. “Was it my…”

 

“No, Bram, it wasn’t your fault.” Simon exhales sharply. “Really, it was time. We weren't meant for eachother, and now…” He shrugs. “It’s over.”

 

Bram stares at his coffee for another minute before speaking again.

 

“Simon, the real reason I asked you here… I want to prove that I’m a good guy. I swear, I’m not usually such a homewrecker.” Bram takes a long drink from his cup, letting the hot liquid burn his tongue and the back of his throat, and watching Simon watch him.

 

Simon smiles, “Well, you have like 25 minutes to do it. What’s on your mind, Bram?”

 

Bram takes a deep breath and holds it for a minute, fiddling with the cardboard sleeve on his coffee cup. He realizes that the barista put a little heart next to his name. Boy was  _ she  _ barking up the wrong tree. 

 

Bram releases the breath to let it mingle with the thousands of other breaths filling the little coffee shop.

 

“Simon, I want to be perfectly honest with you.”

 

“I would expect nothing less.”

 

Bram smirks a little, but stays focused on his cup, picking at the sleeve until it rips. 

 

“Simon, I didn’t want your boyfriend to dump you. That was completely not my intention. I didn’t want to make you unhappy. It’s just….” Bram looks up at Simon briefly, before glancing back down quickly. “Simon, I really like you… like  _ like  _ you. I know that’s probably weird for you to hear, but-”

 

“Bram!” Simon interrupts him, “Bram, I like you too…”

 

“Really?” Bram asks, looking up fully for the first time in a couple of minutes.

 

“ _ No _ ,” Simon says, “ _ Not _ really. I just decided that after you admitted to me that you liked me, I would lie to you and say that I liked you too, because Bram, something you don’t know about me? I am a huge jerk face, and I like nothing better than telling people I like them in order to then turn around and say  _ ‘sike  _ I never really liked you, you just got PUNK’D!’”

 

“Oh,” Bram sighs with relief. “So you  _ do  _ like me?”

 

“Yes, of  _ course _ I like you!” Simon yells, attracting the attention of the few customers in the coffee shop. “Bram, I’ve liked you pretty much since we met.”

 

Bram smiles. “Me too, Simon, me too.”

 

The talk for a while longer, and get to know each other better. With every fact Bram feels himself fall for Simon more and more, until finally it’s four o’clock and the shop closes. 

 

As they leave (read: were ushered out so the employees could clean up and go home/back to their dorms) they keep talking, and the ride home is much more friendly than the ride there.

 

“So you’re telling me you’ve  _ never seen  _ The Princess Bride?”

 

“Nope,” Bram replies, and even with his eyes focused on the road he can  _ feel  _ the incredulous look on Simon’s face.

 

“Ok, well, I own it, so we can fix  _ that  _ tonight.”

 

“Tonight?” Bram asks, his hands tightening on the wheel.

 

“Only if you want to,” Simon says, hoping he isn’t being too forward.

 

“Yeah,” Bram says, relaxing a little, “if you’re cool with that.”

 

Simon chuckles. “Bram, why would I invite you over if I  _ wasn’t  _ fine with it?”

 

Bram shrugs, “Just making sure.”

 

They continue talking as Bram drives, and stand really close to each other on the walk across campus, a motion that doesn’t go unnoticed by either boy. When they get to Simon’s dorm and he goes to unlock the door he remembers Nick.

 

“Oh, so uh, Bram?”

 

Bram turns towards him, “Yeah?”

 

“So… I’ve got a room mate. I don’t know if he’s here or not, so.. you know, there’s that.”

 

Bram blushed and scuffed his converse against the carpet in the hall. 

 

“I guess we’ll just have to keep it PG then.”

 

Simon laughs, “As if you’d go any further on the first date.”

 

Simon unlocks the door and steps in.

 

“Hey!” Bram exclaims, but he laughs too, and steps forward to follow Simon into the room. As he does, however, he trips on the carpeting and falls head long into Simon, who fortunately has turned around in time to catch him. 

 

“Hey, we’re awfully close... a-are we gonna kiss now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE CONTINUED...
> 
> I actually think this is one of my favorite chapters. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are in law school because they wanted to join the Army, but their parents thought it was too dangerous, and being a lawyer was the only way they could think to defend their county...


End file.
